Bob Wills  

Flower Twirl by Bob Wills

December 2021 - Flower Twirl

December 2021 - Bob Wills

Original

About the Image(s)



Original is VP 91-1 and Edit-1 is the final image.
We visited Volunteer Park Observatory in Seattle during the week when it isn't crowded. Actually, now that we live in the mask age in Washington, it may not be crowded on the weekends. Just an idle thought.

Anyway, they allow tripods as long as you stay out of people's way, I liked this pink leaf and blue flower and took a shot of it. It has potential but I must have not focused correctly, so I decided I'd try it as an abstract. I used Topaz sharpen first to try to correct my poor image taking, then added the twirl filter in Photoshop to finish it off. I also added AUTO tone in LR which probably corrected an exposure issue. Altogether I am hoping I can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Nikon D700, 70-200 mm lens at 78 mm, ISO 200, Aperture priority, 1/50 sec @ f5.6.
probably to large an aperture and too fast a shutter to get a solid shot. I have more contrast this month and am anxious to hear all your thoughts (I think.)

This round’s discussion is now closed!
14 comments posted

 
Can you make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Most judges I know say that it is impossible. I decided to prove them wrong by taking a poorly focussed image taken on 1.2 mexapixel camera to see if I could get it accepted in an international and I did!
If eventually I find it, I may show you. I think the problem with this image is the lack of sharpness in the end of the pink which still shows in your final version. I tried cutting off a bit, going wild with Twirl and then adding an artistic effect in Topaz. It's probably horrible, but here's a challenge for the rest of the group. Why not see what you can make of Bob's original?   Posted: 12/04/2021 11:36:02
Comment Image
Bob Wills   Bob Wills
I like the concentric rings and the color remains strong. I don't think it is horrible and in fact it has possibilities as an abstract. Most of the OOF areas have been eliminated. Kind of a fun exercise when out of doors shooting is gone. Your image is balanced well too. Good work.   Posted: 12/04/2021 12:23:25
Diana Magor   Diana Magor
(Group 32)
Brian showed me your photo and I wondered about another way of eradicating the OOF bit. This is a technique I have used very successfully to make creative shots. It was an article in the PSA journal by Bill Brown in Sept 2016 and I really liked the effect.   Posted: 12/05/2021 14:21:44
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Marilyn Ross   Marilyn Ross
Diana, how do I get the article. I tried different techniques in PSCC filters and in Topaz. I even tried nueral filters in PSCC. but I love the way your photo turned out.   Posted: 12/05/2021 16:50:00
Bob Wills   Bob Wills
https://psa-photo.org/index.php?mypsa-login-psa-journal-online

You have to log in to the PSA website first then all the back issues are there. The link is above in white.   Posted: 12/05/2021 20:40:56
Bob Wills   Bob Wills
Thanks, Diana, I'll take a look. The Journal surely was bigger back then.   Posted: 12/05/2021 20:42:10
Diana Magor   Diana Magor
(Group 32)
Not sure if it was any bigger than now, but there are often articles about techniques and this one was clearly written and useful. As I said, I use it a lot, sometimes for backgrounds and sometimes in combination with other techniques to make stand alone images. Different blending modes give different effects -you just need to experiment. Once you've remembered the sequence it is a very quick and easy thing to do.   Posted: 12/06/2021 04:12:10
Bob Wills   Bob Wills
I meant more pages/articles. Sorry, my comm skills are lacking as ever.   Posted: 12/09/2021 19:12:47
Julia Parrish   Julia Parrish
I like the twirl effect - a good way to save a photo and make it artistic. I took the challenge and tried making it an orb in Photoshop, but I think I like the twirl effect better.   Posted: 12/09/2021 12:41:51
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Bob Wills   Bob Wills
I like the balance you have on the orb, and the colors work well. Unfortunately, my OOF area ruins the effect IMHO. Good try, Julia.
  Posted: 12/09/2021 19:11:08
Adelet Kegley   Adelet Kegley
looks like good fun--will have to check out link and try.
  Posted: 12/15/2021 23:09:11
Bob Wills   Bob Wills
Looking forward to your solution, Adelet.   Posted: 12/20/2021 17:56:36
Shirley Ward   Shirley Ward
I love ALL of the images!!!! I have often done the same thing if something isn't as sharp as it should be, and then, no one knows any different, at least not yet....   Posted: 12/28/2021 15:54:30
Bob Wills   Bob Wills
HaHa! We do now!!   Posted: 12/28/2021 19:26:04